Date: Wed, 30 Mar 2016 12:55:43 -1000
Reply-To: "SDF ( aka ;jim lahey' - Scott )" <scottdaniel@TURBOVANS.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: "SDF ( aka ;jim lahey' - Scott )" <scottdaniel@TURBOVANS.COM>
Subject: Re: Vanagon Ownership Misadventures
In-Reply-To: <BAY405-EAS264C8577D6145A67867CD23A0980@phx.gbl>
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You can that last line again !
'Driving a vanagon until something breaks or fails to work right' is
just an awful way to take care of one.
In my experience..it's not even possible to take any car to a
professional shop and have someone ACTUALLY do intelligent proactive
service on it. ..including all systems and mechanisms ..
typically .I might ask someone if the fuel filter was inspected or
replaced any time in the reasonable past.
They'll say 'I'm sure it was, I paid for a full service' .
lol..that's a pure joke. Unless you look at it yourself ....you don't
really known that was done.
Even seening the part on an Invoice is not proof that the part was
actually installed on the car.
the Service Writer system where you never get to talk to the people who
actually do the work ..really a lame system.
Just had a case...sent a friend to a Tire Store for a front end
alinement inspection ...
we wanted to know if they thought they could adjust out one fat inch of
negative camber on the right front ..
they never addressed that at all.
They sawa TINY bit of wheel bearing play on one side, and two ball
joints with a small amount of play, and came back with a $ 900 estimate,
never even saying if it looked like that much negative camber could be
adjusted out, and the ball joints had so little play ..it wasn't that.
we asked them to check the trans oil level..
they write up that the gear oil is 'dirty' ..never saying if it's low,
full, or what.
They also probably didn't know that it looks dark because that vehicle
takes ATF for gear oil.
we asked about rattles...
they did not catch that the rear drums were banging aournd very loosely
due to too small centerbore on the rear alloy non-stock wheels.
they did not say anything about the fact that the rear axle sticks out
two inches to one side than the other, which wuold affect front alignemnt.
all the did ..and this is what Most Shops do ..
is 'Look for Justifiable Profittable' repairs to sell.
I'll stop here ..I have even read in a professional car repair Trade
Magazine, that shops should measure the ride height of all cars that
come into the shop, so if you find a car say 1/2 half an inch settled
on the springs compared to when knew..
you 'upsell' them to all new springs for $ 800 or whatever.
That is just taking money from consumers.
Your best bet is to find One Guy that You Trust ..
in a small shop that does all the work himself. Then you have a
reasonable hope of useful sensible competent repairs.
as I like to say ..
there isn't time to fix a care really carefully and right by 5 or 6
o'clock closing time.
those oil pumps ....VW has used that exact design in their opposed
engines since before time began ....like 70 yrs ago. It is not
inherently weak in any way about sealing ..
two gaskets involved.
the outer one for the plate is extra thin as you want that plate very
close to the end of the gears in the pump. For that very thin gasket I
use *spray* Permatex High Tack sealant. Works perfectly ..very even thin
coat.
Never had an issue with one leaking , on literally hundreds of VW
opposed engines.
Really wondering why John's would leak.
Vanagons are awesome.
I regard them as the Best Overall VW vehicle ever made.
Scott
On 3/30/2016 12:27 PM, Dennis Haynes wrote:
> Time for a longer trip. Some of these gremlin events could have been avoided with better inspections and even repair procedures. That oil pump gasket usually will weep or leak for some time before a piece blows out. Hopefully the correct one was used but that will show up on longer tri when the oil pressure drops when the oil gets hot. For the belts were they replaced after the pump was repaired? Installed correctly something isn’t quite right. Could just be bad luck . Over the years I have found that the combination of do it yourself and having major repairs be out sourced has limitations for effectiveness. Planned and preventive maintenance goes far beyond oil changes and filters as a vehicle gets older. Rarely will I install an engine or transmission where I do not find a bunch of other stuff in need of attention.
>
> Dennis
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf Of John Rodgers
> Sent: Wednesday, March 30, 2016 11:11 AM
> To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
> Subject: Vanagon Ownership Misadventures
>
> For those following my ownership misadventures - I finally got a newly rebuilt tansmission installed and a new clutch - only to immediately have a severe oil leak appear. This leak I could not repair myself, so off to the local guru shop for fix'in. Turned out to be a ruptured oil pump seal.
> Small wonder there was so much oil.
>
> After the repair, I picked up the van at the shop and started home. I was on a county road, and stopped at a service station to check the oil and water. I pulled out on I-20 from Atlanta to B'ham, went a quarter of a mile when suddenly the alternator light and oil pressure buzzer and light came on. WTH????
>
> I quickly turned off the engine, turned on the flashers, and coasted to the side of the road. By the time I stopped I already had my suspicions
>
> As suspected from the sudden appearance at speed of the alternator light and oil pressure light and sounding of the buzzer, the alternator/coolant pump belt had failed.
>
> I checked under the back seat for my spare belt, found it and pulled it out. BUT - sitting there in the growing darkness - I had a problem created by my own hand!! My tool box was sitting in the garage at home. I didn't have tool one in the van. I learned long ago that if you own a vanagon, you don't go anywhere without a box of tools. I had taken everything including the toolbox out of the van and had the van tranported by AAA to the shop.
> When I went to pick the van up, being only a short drive, I FAILED to take the tool box with me. So there I was, on the side of I-20, in the dark, a continous stream of tractor-trailer rigs whizzing by me at 6-8 feet away, with spare part - and no tools!!
>
> My best bet was to call Jim Connell, of Jim's Aircooled VW, help. He had, I learned, gone home sick earlier in the day. But, he called on his grandson to come to my rescue. In about 20 minutes the lad showed up in a supremely tricked out Jeep, with approriated tools. He got right on it and had the new belt on in just a few minutes.
>
> I started the engine, and he checked it and all seemd well, and buttoned it up. As I pulled away, I went 25 ft. And the oil pressure warning light and horn came on. Once again, I stopped on the side of I-20.
>
> Jim's grandson pulled up behind me. I told him what happened and he immediately reached dowm and felt for the oil pressure switch wire, found it disconnected from the switch, and reconnected it. Problem solved. Turns out when that particular belt fails, it will knock that wire loose almost every time.
>
> Again, down the road. This time I made it home with no problem. I now have Vanagon wheels on which to ride.
>
> Durst I ask - what next?
>
> John
>
